Reporter jobs in Yakima, WA

General Summary of Responsibilities

Covers city and county government. Also provides coverage state government as it impacts the Yakima Valley. But this job is about more than elections and meetings. People want to know if their neighborhoods are safe, if they can find jobs and if their tax money is being spent responsibly. That means you’ll be doing a lot of enterprise reporting, which could involve any number of issues.

Essential Job Functions

1. Coverage of local government, as well as state government as it impacts the Yakima Valley.

2. Enterprise reporting, to put issues and events into context.

3. Political coverage at the local, county and state levels.

Other Duties

1. Collaborate with YHR reporters, photojournalists and editors to develop compelling journalism.

2. Contribute to special projects, as needed.

3. Cover breaking news.

4. General assignment coverage

5. Actively participate in newsroom planning discussions.

6. Other duties as assigned

Job Requirements

Experience

A newsroom internship or experience as part of a post-collegiate newsroom staff.

Skills and Abilities / Lifting Requirements

Strong news judgment; effective reporting skills; clear writing style; accuracy; highly developed interpersonal and skills, with an emphasis on interviewing; familiarity with open meetings and records laws; social media savvy; the ability to consistently hit deadlines. No lifting is required.

Minimum Education,

Bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field.

Certification or license

N/A

Contact with Others

Frequent contact with the public, YHR newsroom staff.

Supervision Received

Works independently with direction from editors.

Supervision of others

N/A

Pressure of Work

YHR journalists face deadlines throughout the day. Breaking news demands the ability to work quickly and efficiently. At the same time, you’ll need to make consistent progress on enterprise and investigative projects. This is a small staff, and at some point every reporter is called upon to act in a general assignment capacity.

Impact

Government and political coverage is part of our core mission as a newsroom.

Primary Job Location (Indicate whether the position is remote, or travel required)

Position is based in the Yakima Herald-Republic newsroom, but reporters also work remotely, as assignments and scheduling allow. Frequent local travel is required.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $20.37 - $24.69 per hour

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Experience:

• records laws: 1 year (Preferred)
• open meetings: 1 year (Preferred)

Ability to Relocate:

• Yakima, WA 98901: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person